BAY VILLAGE, Ohio -- A Bay Village City Council committee, working with bicycling enthusiasts, is putting the final touches on proposed updates to Bay's bicycle ordinances, aiming to bring them more in line with policies statewide.

The work actually started last year and has continued by council's environment, safety and community services committee, working with Law Director Gary Ebert.

Lee said that many of the major rules of the road would remain the same under the updated laws. But he said the laws need to be modernized. For example, although it was never enforced, the current statute actually prohibits bikes on some roads in Bay, he said. According to city regulations posted on the website, the bans would have included Bassett, Clague, Columbia and Dover Center roads.

Bay resident and cyclist Patrick McGannon said the four groups are seeking the revisions both for uniformity with other communities and to promote safety. (See the groups' initial presentation in the document viewer below.) Some of the proposed changes are drawn from a model municipal bicycle code developed by Fred Oswald of Middleburg Heights, a certified bicycle safety instructor.

McGannon said that in 2006, House Bill 389 significantly changed Ohio bicycle laws, designating bikes as vehicles "rather than toys or recreational items." That designation was important, he said, because it recognized bicycles as an option for transportation and it banned communities from prohibiting bikes from public streets.

One key element of the proposed Bay revisions now on the table would be a requirement that motorists have at least three feet of clearance when passing a bicycle on the left. McGannon said he think it's important to specify a distance, rather than the current requirement that it be at a "safe" distance.

He said that term leaves it to the judgment of motorists and, just as if people were told only to travel at a "safe" speed limit, it would become open to interpretation and abuse.

McGannon said more than 20 states have adopted rules requiring at least three feet of clearance when passing a bicycle on the roadway. In Ohio, he said, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo and Dayton have three-foot passing laws and the city of Columbus is considering it.

Cycling enthusiasts also want the Bay ordinances altered to require that a bicyclist ride "as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable...." Currently, the local rules say that riders should be “within three feet of the right edge of the roadway, when practicable...."

McGannon said that surface hazards, parked cars and even the prospect that an inexperienced rider could be thrown if his or her pedal strikes the curb make it dangerous to ride too far to the right. Bicyclists, he notes, have "no big bubble of metal around them."

He also said that forcing cyclists to the far right can give motorists the impression that they can "squeeze through" when trying to pass, instead of waiting for safer clearance.

Another proposal on the table is making Bay's rules match Ohio law, which allows bicyclists to ride two abreast on roadways. Currently, the city's rules require riding single file.

McGannon said that Lake Road in Bay Village is particularly heavily used by out-of-town bikers because it is part of the coast-to-coast Northern Tier bike route. That means that out-of-towners won't be familiar with rules that are unique to Bay, he said, such as the current requirement that all bikes have bells.

Among other things, the proposed rules also would spell out that motor vehicles turning left at intersection have to yield to any approaching vehicle -- including a bicycle -- that motorists traveling in the same direction as a bicycle cannot turn right in front of it unless safely clear of the rider and that people opening vehicle doors into moving traffic must avoid interfering with bicycles as well as other traffic.

The proposed revisions also underscore what bicyclists must do to operate safely and comply with traffic laws, including having proper lighting and adequate brakes. Also spelled out would be procedures for bicyclists who encounter a malfunctioning traffic signal or one that doesn't detect a bicycle.

McGannon said all the proposed revisions are aimed at keeping Bay a desirable place to live by being bike-friendly and encouraging more people to ride. He also said that when the ordinances are in place, the cycling groups will begin a public education campaign aimed at both bicyclists and motorists.

Lee's committee has met twice this year and is working with Ebert, the law director, to develop a proposal that the councilman hopes can be presented to the full council later this month or early in March. The councilman said he'd like to have the new rules in place for the city's annual Bike-to-School Challenge in May. During last year's challenge, Bay students tallied 28,257 miles on their bikes.